Opening statement:“Tough one tonight. We fought back in the game, but it wasn’t enough. They took advantage of the press at the end and got some easy layups. I was proud of the kids for fighting through that stretch of being down by nine at half. They showed a lot of heart and courage on that. I’m really proud of them for that, but we wanted to win the game.”

On the improvements shown offensively:“They’re making great improvements. They’re really listening and trying to do the things we’re asking them to do. I think watching it helps. We watched our offensive sets in the Kansas game where we didn’t run any offense at all. I think they were determined to show that they can run the offense and do the things we want them to do. That’s a credit to the players.”

On how the press helped and hurt them tonight:“I probably should have called it off a little sooner. I think we probably pressed a little bit too long, but when you’re down and you’re trying to make a little run it’s good to mix it up a little bit. They did adjust well to it. I’ll take the blame on that one.”

On if she knew she’d use the press going into the game:“We didn’t even practice the press. It seems like when we don’t practice it we do it well. Maybe we won’t practice it anymore. We’ve done it in other games too, where we didn’t practice it before. These kids are very smart. I’m just the one who should have called it off a little sooner.

“We did use it to get back into the game and we did it well. It is something we can use strategically. We don’t have a lot of bodies and can’t wear them out pressing. Some of the kids on the bench aren’t ready to do that kind of intense defense yet. But when we need it, we do it well.”

On if there is more standing around than she’d like to see:“Yes. When you pass, you’re supposed to do something, not stand there and watch the girl with the ball, either relocate, go back-door, screen. We have a tendency to stand there and watch her and that’s not part of the offense. That comes with reps. We need to do more reps in practice. When they don’t do it, running seems to motivate people. So we’ll just run. If you don’t want to run, then move, then go to find somebody to screen.”

On Tiera Stephen’s play tonight:“Tiera is somebody who can play defense. She’s very quick and she’s instinctual, she knows when to go for the steal. Sometimes, here and there, she’ll foul, but for the most part she knows how to anticipate. We need more from her on the other end. That’s just getting in the gym, and making people pay when they leave you. The more she can do that her confidence will grow. I told her if she’s open later in the shot clock, you can shoot the ball. I don’t tell the kids they can’t shoot the ball, just some can shoot sooner than others.”

On who she’ll bring in to spark off the bench in the future:“I’ll bring in anybody that can help us. If you don’t start, that doesn’t mean you’re not going to play. It’s who’s in in the end, not the beginning. Tiera didn’t start but she was in there in critical moments and she made a big impact. They know I don’t have any favorites. The only favorites I have are people that can get the job done, whether it’s Kelly, a walk-on, or Anya [Covington], a starter or Taylor [Wurtz], it doesn’t matter to me. It’s who can get the job done. It’s who’s proven themselves in practice, who’s put in the extra work to do the things that we need to do to help our team. One of you said it in the beginning, ‘You play everybody.’ Yes, we do. Whoever can get it done will play.”

Drake Head Coach Amy Stephens

Opening Statement:“I'm really proud of the way our team played. The Badgers made a great run midway through the second half, and I'm proud of the way our team responded. It took us a while to really adjust to the pressure, but to me the difference later on in the game was how we handled the pressure. We finally got some easy baskets and got it into the half-court where we could execute and get a shot off. To me, that was the difference.”

On the adjustment the team made after a timeout in the second half:“We changed our formation on the press attack and gave them a bit of a different look. I think that was significant. And we also moved Brittnye (McSparron) and put Kyndal (Clark) a little more available in the basketball, so that was the two adjustments that we made. In the timeout, we just really encouraged our players to play to win.”

We came out flat to start the second half, and we knew that the Badgers were going to come out on fire to start the second half. We got up 10 and they slapped the press on and with the pressure we did not handle it well. They took the lead and then we answered right away. Fortunately, we finally adjusted and got some easy baskets which gave us confidence, and we made enough free throws down the stretch to give us enough separation.”

On seeing the Badgers press:“They haven't pressed, at least watching the film that I've seen, but I'm not surprised (to see it). We're going to see presses, we're going to see pressure. They have better athletes that are bigger, stronger and faster than we are. You knew it was coming, and they got down, so they had to change the tempo and the press certainly did that. I'm just glad we had enough time to finally adjust to it and when we did, we did a good job. The key was the easy layups that came from it because they gave us confidence and allowed us to score. It took a little bit of pressure off of us when we got up and it really put pressure on them to capitalize on each possession.”

On how big the win was for the program:“Anytime a mid-major goes on the road and wins at a Big Ten school, you're going to see a little bit of celebration. We're excited for that. It's a good win for our program, and it's our first road win of the season with a young basketball team. I love what we're doing defensively, we're rebounding well. I'm happy for our team and our program. I think a game like this is really going to give us a lot of confidence.”